Urias to start Game 1 for Dodgers; Kershaw next

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2022

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10:17 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Julio Urias, who thrust himself into the Cy Young discussion with another dominant season as a full-time starting pitcher, will get the ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, opposing the San Diego Padres‘ Mike Clevinger.

Clayton Kershaw will face former teammate Yu Darvish in Game 2, with neither team settling on their rotation thereafter.

The Padres’ order was widely assumed coming off their wild-card-series win over the New York Mets, but the Dodgers were toying with the idea of flipping Urias and Kershaw. The latter scenario would have given the Dodgers a chance to utilize both Kershaw and Urias in a potential Game 5, given that Kershaw would be lined up to start on normal rest and Urias can theoretically bounce back quickly enough to be available out of the bullpen. They instead went the conventional route, with Urias lined up to start Game 5 and Kershaw in line to follow him throughout the postseason.

“You could essentially flip a coin,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They’re both aces in our eyes. I think Julio has been fantastic for us all year. Making that decision to give him that opportunity, we all felt good about it. Clayton feels good about starting Game 2 and going on from there.”

The Padres and Dodgers each worked out from Dodger Stadium on Monday afternoon, though the Dodgers, five days removed from their last game, went through a more extensive session. With Game 1 on tap for Tuesday — first pitch is 6:37 p.m. PT on FS1 — the Dodgers were still pondering key decisions.

They still weren’t certain if ex-closer Craig Kimbrel would crack the NLDS roster or if Miguel Vargas would sneak in as a right-handed-hitting option off the bench. They were also waiting for setup man Blake Treinen (shoulder) to be medically cleared and for utility man Chris Taylor (neck) to get through live batting practice healthy. Dustin May, who has been dealing with tightness in his back but has been pitching in simulated games, is healthy enough to pitch, Roberts said, but the Dodgers don’t know if they’ll carry him this round.

The Padres’ rotation is a lot easier to discern, with Bob Melvin turning to Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove — in whatever order — when the series shifts to Games 3 and 4 from San Diego. Snell struggled through six walks in his Game 2 start against the Mets on Saturday, but Musgrove dominated through seven one-hit innings in the decisive Game 3 on Sunday. At one point, perhaps in an effort to throw off his rhythm, Mets manager Buck Showalter asked umpires for a thorough check of Musgrove to ensure he wasn’t pitching with an illegal foreign substance.

Melvin hasn’t addressed the issue with Showalter and doesn’t believe he needs to.

“He texted congratulations after the game and I thanked him,” Melvin said. “We have another series coming up here, so for me that’s kind of water under the bridge.”

The Dodgers have dominated the Padres of late, winning their last nine games against them in 2021 and 14 of 19 in 2022, during which they outscored them 109-47. But the Padres look like a different team heading in. Josh Hader has looked sharp lately, Juan Soto has shown signs of getting back to his usual self, and the Padres saw Trent Grisham, a .184/.284/.341 hitter this season, come alive in New York. Grisham had been sitting against lefties down the stretch, but Melvin indicated he’d start against the left-handed Urias and Kershaw in Games 1 and 2.

“There’s going to be a lot of emotions,” Roberts said of a series pinning two division rivals separated by 125 miles. “It’s going to be a very intense series.”

Sports

Twins’ Lewis ‘not very optimistic’ about groin injury

Published

2 hours ago

July 3, 2024

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Twins' Lewis 'not very optimistic' about groin injury

Associated Press

Jul 2, 2024, 09:43 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis was removed from Tuesday night’s game against Detroit with tightness in his left groin, and the oft-injured budding star groused afterward about his prognosis.

Lewis was replaced in the field for the top of the sixth inning. He had a two-run, two-out double in the third off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, when he jogged into second base and felt like he couldn’t even run at half-speed.

“He had to come out. He just wasn’t moving the way that he needs to move in the game, and it was just the smart thing to get him off the field,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.

The Twins announced Lewis’ status as day-to-day, but after their 5-3 win, he said he was still experiencing tightness and expected to get an MRI for further assessment.

“Probably not very optimistic, to be honest with you,” Lewis said. “I’m praying, but it’s usually always horrible news. So we’ll see.”

The first overall pick in the 2017 draft can be forgiven for his pessimism. Lewis missed 58 games earlier this season with a partially torn quadriceps in his right leg. He previously underwent two reconstructive knee surgeries for torn ACLs in the same leg that waylaid the beginning of his career.

Lewis has 31 homers and 80 RBIs in 100 major league games, including the postseason.

“What I can control, I’m very happy about, but this is out of my control. I have no idea,” he said.

Sports

Nimmo returns, grateful after hotel room scare

Published

2 hours ago

July 3, 2024

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Nimmo returns, grateful after hotel room scare

Associated Press

Jul 3, 2024, 12:24 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Brandon Nimmo had two RBIs in his return from a harrowing hotel room accident, and the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Tuesday night for their second consecutive extra-innings victory.

Nimmo, who cut his forehead when he fainted and fell Sunday night, entered in the fourth inning after Harrison Bader was pulled following a collision with the wall in right-center field. In the eighth, he drove in Francisco Lindor for a tying RBI single, and then was part of a barrage of hits against Robert Garcia (0-3) once the game went to extras.

“Really enjoying the moments tonight … getting the big hits, just soak them in because not every day’s like that,” Nimmo said. “When things like this happen, it’s a fresh perspective on being able to play this game and being able to play it at this level on a daily basis. When it’s taken away from you briefly, you realize just how special it is, and you start to enjoy the little things a little bit more.”

As part of a five-run 10th, José Iglesias doubled to put the Mets ahead. Nimmo also doubled and Pete Alonso crushed his 18th homer.

Lindor’s 14th homer in the sixth was the only blemish against Nationals rookie DJ Herz, who struck out 10 while pitching 5⅔ innings. Herz joined Stephen Strasburg as the only pitchers since 1901 to have two 10-strikeout, no-walk games in their first six major league starts.

“I’m just going out there and pitching,” Herz said. “I just want to get deep into games and put these guys in the best situation to win. It’s cool to hear all that stuff that comes with it, but I’m just trying to go out there and do what’s best for my team.”

But Washington’s bullpen let Herz down, first when Hunter Harvey got knocked around in the eighth and then when Garcia was lit up for the loss.

The Mets became just the fourth team to score five or more runs in an extra inning in back-to-back games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

After Sean Manaea allowed one earned run and struck out five in seven innings, Jose Butto gave the Mets exactly what they wanted when they called him up to come out of the bullpen. Butto (2-3) allowed just one hit in his first two innings of relief this season.

“We got two huge innings out of him when we needed it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.